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Twenty years ago, small-business owners had to rely primarily on
free publicity, direct-mail or paid advertising to reach their
target markets. Today, the variety of the web makes
it so much easier to find your ideal audience -- and reach
them for next to nothing.

When you find them, don't pitch an offer. Build the
relationship first. Share helpful content like articles and
videos that address their main problems and concerns. Position
yourself as the go-to expert. Give them time to know, like
and trust you.

But where do you start to look? Here are six not-so-obvious
places to find ideal customers.

Meetup.com is the world's largest
network of local groups. Its more than 18 million members join
groups online and interact with members offline at events
known as Meetups. You'll find everything from
neighborhood Bulldog lovers to Baby Boomers who teach each
other how to use Facebook.

Many Meetup groups welcome speakers. If I have a speaking
engagement out of town, I'll frequently contact a Meetup group in
that community and offer to present a program. Go to MeetUp.com
and use the search box to find groups where you live.

Social media might be hogging the spotlight, but discussion
groups and forums are still wildly popular places for people in
super-narrow niches. They join for two main reasons: to ask
questions and to meet other people who share their passion and
interests. Alexa's excellent database for message
boards includes a wide variety of discussions, from
Small Business Administration topics to mechanics' tips.

Your target audience should include journalists who cover your
topic and write directly to your target market. The Society
of Professional Journalists' Freelancer Directory has listings for
more than 2,000 freelancers. You can email many of them
directly from the website. But the smarter strategy would be
to do a Google search for the name of a freelancer you want to
pitch. Look for the writer's blog. It's probably filled with
valuable clues about topics and other items that the writer
feels are important.

The world's largest online talk radio and podcast hosting
platform has shows in 20 categories, many on super-narrow topics
like dying with dignity, memory retention, dealing with difficult
toddlers, and the importance of drinking clean water. Some
audiences are tiny. Other shows have thousands of raving
fans.

Event organizers use this software platform to sell tickets and
registrations for their events, from tech conferences to bird
watching classes. You can use the search box to find events near
you so you can meet people face to face. It also tips you off to
groups that hire speakers.

Flaunt your expertise on this giant question-and-answer site, for
free. Create a profile, specify topics you're interested in,
and Quora will notify you when people submit questions you might
want to answer. Quora is heavy on techie experts. Thousands
of journalists also hang out here, mostly to ask questions about
topics they're covering.

Do you have a favorite place where you look for people in your
target market? If so, add it my list.